VALIDATING LOWER LIMB INJURY MECHANISMS IN SIDE IMPACT CRASHES

Lower extremity (LE) injuries sustained in side impact car crashes are debilitating due to the loss of weight bearing function and long rehabilitation times. In Australia such injuries rank third in terms of harm after the head and thorax. Moreover, it is estimated around 20% of the total annual motor vehicle trauma treatment costs are devoted to rehabilitation of such injuries. Regulatory design rules protecting the knee, lower leg and ankle/foot in side-impact crashes do not exist. However, in order to adopt sensible mitigation strategies and appropriate design rules, it is essential to identify and validate injury mechanisms. While considerable work has been carried out identifying lower limb injuries occurring in frontal crashes, little work has been carried out regarding side-impacts. Three injury mechanisms, identified from a real-world side-impact case-study analysis carried out at Monash University, were proposed at a Melbourne crashworthiness conference in 2002. MADYMO computer models simulating near- and far-side occupants in three typical crash scenarios were constructed. Occupant kinematics and force outputs from the models were compared with the injuries and hence the mechanisms identified in the study. Results from the simulations were compared to published, known injury tolerances and are presented in this paper. Injury countermeasures for these three side-impact configurations are also discussed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E825082.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  MINISTRY OF ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY OF JAPAN

  1-3-1, KASUMIGASEKI, CHIYODA-KU
  TOKYO,   Japan  100-8901
• Authors:
  • ARNDT, N
  • Grzebieta, R
  • Zou, R
• Publication Date: 2003-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 14 p.
• Serial:
  • PROCEEDINGS OF 18TH INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE ON THE ENHANCED SAFETY OF VEHICLES, HELD NAGOYA, JAPAN, 19-22 MAY 2003
  • Publisher: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Conferences; Crash severity; Deformation; Design; Injuries; Injury severity; Leg; Prevention; Side crashes; Simulation; Vehicle occupants
• Geographic Terms: Australia
• ITRD Terms: 8006: Australia; 8525: Conference; 5595: Deformation; 9011: Design (overall design); 2163: Injury; 2023: Leg (human); 9149: Prevention; 1623: Severity (accid, injury); 1630: Side impact; 9103: Simulation; 1715: Vehicle occupant
• Subject Areas: Design; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00987353
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 3 2005 12:00AM